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Tuesday, October 26, 2010

The 12 Laws, Part 3: It's Not The Team, It's the Coach

What's up, True Believers and True Deceivers? I hope you guys are enjoying this blog series, because I'm only 3 chapters in, so if this is a bust, I'm kind of committed at this point. Ah, who am I kidding? I like it myself, and since I've committed to it, I'm going to finish it regardless. I'm obviously not going to be able to cover everything in my blog, but I'm hoping that what I do tell you will inspire someone else to pick this book up, read it, and apply his principles. He's already proven that he knows what he's talking about, at least to me...

Law Number Three: Get Your Mind Right

I can't and won't say I loved every word of this book. I don't think Russell intended it to be as such. He was doing him, and being honest, so he had to tell the reader the truth as he sees it, and he submitted that we might disagree on some points. This chapter was an overwhelmingly spiritual chapter, and whenever we are talking spirituality (at least in the United States), you could be talking Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, etc. But regardless of who you choose to worship or exalt, your mind is more important to have right than your body or your bank account.

I see updates on Facebook of people exalting the virtues of the P90X system and losing weight, people believe that things are going to be better when they lose "x" amount of pounds, but no matter how much you train, it won't matter one bit if you aren't engaging in prayer, reflection, and self-study.

"Remember, your mind is your most powerful muscle."

I don't want to get into a theological debate, but I have always been of the mind that God can be found within before he can be found without. Buddhists believe in what's called "Dharma", your life's purpose, the reason why you are here. People spend all their time searching for their Dharma, when they really shouldn't be looking for it, they should stop and start listening to it.

Russell spent the majority of this chapter exalting the virtues of yoga, and I have to be real, I haven't tried it, but I do find that many of the principles seem very sound. No, I have not done yoga, but I am a martial artist and have spent some time meditating.

Meditating allows us to shut off the voices in our head in order to hear the God inside us. "The truth is, when you can't hear God inside of you, you're always going to struggle in life." You have two "selfs", the higher self and the lower self. The higher self is the decisions and choices that benefit the world and others, it is the source of contribution. The lower self is the greedy self, the choice that benefits no one but you, or causes harm.

I found this particularly fascinating, when speaking on the higher and lower self, you can tell much about people by what drives their choices. People who tend to be motivated by their higher self inspire through hard work and dedication, they promote positive environments, they are inspiring. Those who are driven by their lower self are selfish, they are takers and not givers, they bicker over credit and are neg by nature. They are the ones that think they are "getting over". Those driven by their lower selves may find some success, but it's always temporary. People who listen to their higher selves move on to bigger and better things, while those who appeal to their lower selves get stuck playing low notes and/or eventually fade out altogether. Listening to your lower self keeps you from accessing the blessings in you.

On the subject of meditation, Russell says it allows us to "be present". Being present is realizing the power of the "Now". We drift between the past and the future, never fully realizing the potential of the present.

"Living like that, you become your own worst enemy. You wait for things to happen instead of making them happen. You imagine what happiness is like instead of appreciating the happiness

that is already present in your life."

At one point you are completely focused in the now is known as "pure presence". Anyone who's been in a car accident knows what it's like. It's like "bullet time" (ironically, being shot at is another moment you experience it, but more people can relate to car accidents); everything slows down, you can see and recall every detail, flying glass, tires screeching, but you're not afraid. No past, no future, just that moment. Every religion has a name for this state. Yogis call it "Samahdi" or "walking meditation". Christians call it "Christ Consciousness" or "State Of Grace", while Muslims call it "Taqwa". Instead of dealing with things as they should be, you deal with them as they are. While shootouts and crashes are rather extreme, there are others doing everyday things in this state. Athletes call it "the Zone". A sketch artist or painter is experiencing pure presence.

I won't go into great detail about Russell's yoga experience, but it was very persuasive, and I can truly appreciate how it can bring balance back to a life that's out-of-whack. He says if you don't know how to meditate, you can practice just being silent, holding still, not moving and maintaining your breathing. Start with sitting still for just 15 minutes a day, listening to the voice of your Higher Self. Take it to 30, then 45. Just putting that into practice can help to be able to see the present. You can't make money in the past, you can't grind in the future, you only have the now, and the now is most important moment you're ever going to get. You can build up your team all you want, but if your head coach ain't right, you won't be going nowhere.

RECOGNIZE THE REAL:

"God has already put a lot of time into you. When you put a litle time back into God through prayer and meditation, that investment will always pay off."

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